On June 4, 2024, Patriarch Porfirje of Serbia celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of St. John Vladimir, Prince of Serbia, in the Medaković neighborhood of Belgrade, marking the temple celebration.
During his sermon, Patriarch Porfirje emphasized the profound and challenging nature of the Lord’s teachings, which are clear, unambiguous, and both healing and demanding. He stated: “In today’s passage from the Gospel according to John, the Lord is clear. He first talks about the fact that love is the meaning and that He is love. At the same time, He does not promise that we will pass through this life simply and easily if we fulfill the commandments of God, if we fast and pray. It goes without saying, because it is our natural state, but the Lord says that we will have trials and, moreover, He uses a very strong, harsh, brutal word. He says: ‘The world will hate you.’”
Patriarch Porfirje stressed the importance of understanding that the world will oppose those who follow Christ, and that believers should not conform to the spirit of this world or seek its approval. “We should not live up to the spirit of this world, nor should it be our goal to please it,” he said. “Our goal should be to pray for all people, to have love for all people, because the Lord Himself also says: ‘Love your enemies!’ Therefore, the world will hate you, but you should pray for everyone, forgive everyone, try to love them because they are also icons of God, created by the Lord.”
In his message, Patriarch Porfirje called the faithful to a higher standard of love and forgiveness, underscoring the Christian duty to pray for and love all people, even in the face of hatred and adversity.
Source: Patriachate of Serbia
